Nobel Prize winner Abhijit Banerjee , who shares his award with his wife, Esther Duflo , and Michael Kremer, helped the Congress conceptualise its key poll promise Nyuntam Aay Yojana (NYAY), former Congress president Rahul Gandhi said in a tweet congratulating him.
“Congratulations to #AbhijitBanerjee on winning the Nobel Prize in Economics. Abhijit helped conceptualise NYAY that had the power to destroy poverty and boost the Indian economy. Instead we now have Modinomics, that’s destroying the economy and boosting poverty,” Mr. Gandhi said in a tweet.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi, in a tweet, congratulated Mr. Banerjee for “notable contributions.”
“Congratulations to Abhijit Banerjee on being conferred the 2019 Sveriges Riksbank Prize in Economic Sciences in Memory of Alfred Nobel. He has made notable contributions in the field of poverty alleviation.” Mr. Modi said. He also congratulated Ms. Duflo and Mr. Kremer.
Former Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, an economist himself, in a letter to Mr. Banerjee congratulated him and Ms. Duflo. “I am particularly pleased, as a student of economics, that the Committee chose to honour pioneering innovations in development economics that are very applicable and useful to policy making in developed countries such as India,” he wrote in the letter.
Jairam Ramesh, Congress MP, recalled Ms. Duflo’s work during the UPA regime. “Delighted that Abhijit Banerjee and Esther Duflo have won this year’s Economics Nobel. As Minister of @moefcc [Environment and Forests] in 2010, I had asked Duflo to work on market instruments for pollution control. I’m glad that system is now in use in Gujarat,” Mr. Ramesh said on Twitter. The idea that she proposed was to offer economic incentive to the industrial units to limit their pollution output. Last month, the Gujarat government launched an Emissions Trading Scheme where industries can buy and sell the ability to emit particulate matter by trading permits within the cap for emission fixed by the government.
CPI(M) general secretary Sitaram Yechury said, “Prof. Abhijit Banerjee, the calumny spread about both Presidency and JNU is rebuffed yet again. You’ve done your alma mater proud, adding further distinction. This is the second Economics Nobel from Presidency.”
West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee said that her State was “overjoyed”. “Hearty congratulations to Abhijit Banerjee, alumnus of South Point School and Presidency College, Kolkata, for winning the Nobel Prize. Another Bengali has done the nation proud. We are overjoyed,” Ms. Banerjee said in a tweet.
School programme
Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal, while congratulating Mr. Banerjee, said the Delhi government’s education scheme Chunauti, which provides special focus for the weakest students was based on a model developed by Mr. Banerjee. “Big day for every Indian. Heartiest congratulations to eminent economist Abhijit Banerjee for being among the winners of this year’s Nobel prize for Economics. Work on poverty alleviation gets highest endorsement. Abhijit Banerjee’s path breaking work has also benefited lakhs of children studying in Delhi govt. schools,” Mr. Kejriwal said.
